In an easygoing town behind the dunes of Florida's Gulf Coast, a brother and sister co-design a weekend getaway

Exterior

Exterior

Heaven is leaving the car at your door until the weekend's over. That's the attitude at Rosemary Beach, where homeowners such as Leah and Eric Bentley rely on bicycles and bare feet to navigate the rosemary-laced boardwalks that lead to the beach. "Bentley Cottage" was conceived as a family escape; Leah wanted it to be less traditional than the homes in which she's lived. She enlisted brother George, an Urban History and City Planning grad, to design it. He started with a foundation of black-stained pine floors that softened thanks to sandy feet, and then each room evolved from an inspiration.

The Bentleys

The Bentleys

Leah and George have a relationship sustained by mutual admiration and interests. Leah admires George's "eye"; he commends her ability to juggle many challenges and "come out faultless in the end." Leah, owner of Social Graces, a Nashville-based stationery shop, and George, a commercial real-estate analyst, enjoy antiquing. E-mail also served them well for this project. George would shop the market and zip pictures for Leah's approval.